Ross Island - North Bay Island - Viper Island, Andaman

Ross Island

Few miles from Port Blair is the Ross Island, once an administrative headquarter for the Britishers, before an earthquake rocked the Island in 1941. The British then left the island and took settlement at Port Blair, since then the Island could never recover from the decay and neglect which had set in. Slowly but steadily the nature took its toll, as banyan trees engulfed the buildings thus replacing the structures created by man.
This island makes you nostalgic and takes you back in time when this was an administrative settlement for the Britishers. The Indian Navy has rebuilt some of the old buildings like the bakery and the local stores, from where souvenirs are available.

The island is organized in a good manner, pathways, barricades and proper signs to navigate. Usually, people come here for 2 - 3 hours; however, ideally, it is preferred to be a full day trip. Upon entrance towards your left, ruins of a giant water distillation plant, swimming pool and tennis court. The island still has remains of the famous printing press and secretariat office. Explore the island and you would see ruins of a Church, further more and you would see a graveyard along with names of people who were buried. The FARZAND ALI STORE is famous in this island and is now maintained as a museum. This store has a lot of pictures about the British era and their activities in the past. The island had everything then from church, tennis court, printing press, secretariat, hospital, cemetery, open air theater and much more as if to say Paris in the paoutst. You could walk around the island along the coast line watching the beautiful sea scape, trees, and birds such as Peacocks, Eagles and Parrots. The island has a good population of deers, who are accustomed to see humans. Please do not feed the deers, let nature grow and live on its own without human intervention. This is a policy followed in the Andaman islands. Walk to the back of the island and a beautiful shore and an open sea is a good site to watch. The cool breeze under the shade of the trees would be a refreshing experience.
You would be surprised to find out that the British had built up tram lines in Andaman.
A Light and Sound show is shown from Monday - Sunday except on Wednesday and Public Holidays. To see this show we have to take 4 pm boat from the water sports complex, after 15 minutes of boat ride we will reach Ross island. The show starts at 5:15 PM . Ross Island light and sound show is all about the historical events which happened during the pre-independent era, how the first administrative settlement was set up and many more insight about the historic events in the islands.

The Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands occurred in 1942 during World War II. Japanese bunkers and Cannon still stand as a memorial in this island. Take a guide and listen to stories of the suffering and the challenges our heroes in the past had faced.

North Bay Island

North Bay island is a popular destination in Port Blair. The beach and the snorkeling opportunities in its fringing coral reefs are the closest ones you will find at Port Blair. A ferry (9 am and 2 pm; 30mins) will take you across Aberdeen Jetty and bring you back after 3 hour. The corals at North Bay are rather good and spread over large area. You're very likely to spot many fish, a lobster, or even clams on the coral reef. Snacks and basic meals are available in some shacks on the beach.

When at North Bay, it is time to relax and enjoy. Options such as Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Sea Walk and many other Sports activities are also available. You can also trek to see the Light House. However, sometimes the light house is closed for outside travellers.

Viper Island

This island can be visited along with other island packages. The main and only attraction of this island is the ruin building famous as women’s jail. Viper Island witnessed the untold sufferings the freedom fighters had to undergo. Convicts found guilty of violating the rules of the penal settlement were put in fretters and made to work on the island. This building is located at the top of a small hill. Currently, this trip to Viper Island is operated on demand based upon the number of travellers who are willing to reach this destination.

From jetty at Viper island it will take around 10 minutes to reach the building. The total duration of this tour could be around 30 - 45 minutes. During the boat journey to this island you would see the main port and navy ships of Port Blair. The panoramic view of seven points from the harbour is a good treat to watch. You would enjoy the view of Cellular jail and its tower from the boat. This part of the journey is to be
completed before evening as boats are not allowed after 5 PM.